Pandora's Box
by Sergeant Turtle
Summary: Meridian #4. A recent breakdown and subsequent illness may have awoken more than just guilty consciences. Tonight, the boys will find out just why you ought to be afraid of the dark. Yes, it's your brother. No, don't look behind you. Just run. (Rated T for violence, blood, scariness and some Japanese swearing) Art by the author. PROLOGUE REVISED.
1. Prologue: The Divine Invasion

**Hello, everybody! From the avalanche of reviews I've been getting, you're obviously all desperate to hear what's happening with Leo, particularly after what just happened in _Solace_. So, here's the prologue to Meridian Part Four, _Pandora's Box_ - more chapters coming as soon as I write them! This one's creepy, guys - you've been warned...**

**Don't own no turtles. Hang on, double negative…**

* * *

Prologue: The Divine Invasion

The sound of a child's sobbing rang through the dark room. 'I did not want this to happen! You did not tell me of the vampire's host! Blue was at his breaking point already, and now we have caused irreparable damage!'

A deep, rasping breath followed this, then a voice that seemed to be quiet and yet deafening at the same time. 'You are becoming weak, Knife. Weak and sentimental. Blue requires us in order to live now. His judgement was impaired. I only asked of you what was necessary for our survival.'

As the torches flared higher, the speaker was revealed to be an old man, sitting on a metal throne with runes shifting around its curves. The hood of his grey robes was pulled up over his head, but his attention was focused on a small child kneeling on the floor in front of him. The child was androgynous in appearance, having the slightly sturdier features of a young boy, but its shining white hair was long and unkempt, hiding its face. Its white shirt and trousers hung loosely off its slender frame, and its eyes were two pale golden orbs. A slight glow seemed to emanate from it, as if it were a light bulb or a firefly.

The old man coughed hoarsely and spoke again. 'The foreign matter in Blue's gene spiral separated us and gave us power we have never known before. You must not let your reservations about the use of that power become your downfall.'

'But, Ophidian-'

'Questions will get you nowhere, Knife.'

The child lowered its head, submissive, 'Yes, Ophidian.'

There was a silence.

Then the old man spoke again. 'The vampire's host is undoubtedly important to Blue – the act has finally shattered his already-fragile mind and allowed his doubts and fears to free the Third.'

The child gasped, its golden eyes widening in horror. 'Reaper?'

'He was awakened and now he is coming to take control. You must hide, Knife. Hide until you are strong enough to defeat him and give up the darkness to Blue. I cannot help you anymore – he has grown too powerful, and when the balance tips too far, I cannot survive. I am sorry, Knife. You will not see me again.'

'But Ophidian, you cannot-'

'Enough, Knife! You must go now, before he comes! Find your true strength and courage and defeat Reaper before he causes too much pain! Go!'

And the child ran, stumbling over the rough stones of the labyrinth floor, into the twisting corridors and out of sight. The old man sighed as he watched it go and whispered, 'All luck go with you, little one. Goodbye.'

He bowed his cloaked head and faded out of existence, a fine, shining dust falling to the ground. It lay there in a small, sparkling pile until a quiet breeze rose up and swept it away.

The room was silent for several minutes.

Then a dark, almost liquid figure came speeding down one of the halls, stopping in front of the throne. An angry growl issued from it as it beheld an empty room. 'So, the old man wished to believe that I could be balanced out, eh? Well, Knife is too much of a coward to challenge me, and Blue does not deserve to be in control!'

And a terrifying laugh resonated through the twisted maze.

* * *

**More coming soon! Have patience! It will be worth it and scare the living shell out of you!**


	2. Leo: A Handful Of Darkness

**I don't own them… not even Leo and Donnie… (sad face)**

* * *

Leo: A Handful of Darkness

I couldn't help but smile as I watched Mikey run around the dojo with Raph and Donnie after him. They were going to give him the tickle torture after pranking us that morning, and, sadly, I was relegated to the position of audience. Don had ordered me to take it easy after my recent fever, but although I was still a bit weak and shaky, I was not going to lie like a slug in the infirmary, with only the voices in my head for company.

The voices. I've been trying to block them out, but they're still there. They aren't as angry or taunting now, but I can still hear them. Like ghosts. Don says auditory hallucinations and my fear of them are symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia. Whether I _have_ it or not is still under debate, but I have a rather nasty feeling that I do.

During my 'episodes', when it gets really bad, the voices become like they were at first – terrifying and out to get me. Sometimes my memory blanks out and I can't remember what I was about to do.

I can also get kind of… unpredictable. One minute I seem perfectly normal and the next I'll find myself ripping the labels off all the tinned food. This caused a few problems the first time with several 'mystery meals', so Mikey took to writing the contents on the top of the can whenever our supplies came in. It was, however, slightly embarrassing when he gave me a pointed glance each time as if to discourage me from repeating the 'experiment'. (I wanted to tell him that it was not my fault, but it was, really.)

However, this did not stop him using it for pranks, including that morning, when the tinned 'peaches' we planned to put on our cereal turned out to be tinned peas. That was why Mikey was now lying curled up on the floor giggling, having been tickled breathless by my twin and his 'accomplice'. Needless to say, he never tried it again, but he still labelled all our tinned food the next day, with Raph checking to make sure each can was correct.

He still gave me that look, though.

As Mikey tried to get up, only to be poked in the sides again and collapse laughing, I started to get that feeling – the one that tells me I need to find a quiet, empty room and wedge myself into a corner so that the episode can pass quickly. As quiet as I could, I edged out of the dojo, then abandoned all stealth and sprinted for the old elevator shaft.

I slid down a pipe, ran into the secret room and shut the door just as the voices began to snicker in my head.

* * *

I will not describe just what happens in my mind during an episode. All you need to know is that I spent about ten minutes curled up in a beanbag with my hands over my head, deaf to anything but the voices, who tormented me mercilessly. To tell the truth, that's really as much as I can remember anyway.

When I finally calmed down enough to open my eyes, I could hear a rustling in the beanbag behind me. A hand landed softly on my shoulder, and I knew it was Don checking to see if I was lucid enough to talk. 'You okay, Leo?'

I nodded – episodes often left me exhausted for a while afterwards. 'I'm alright.'

'You're shaking. Was it a bad one?'

'Yeah.'

'Do you need to talk?'

I shook my head – this had been a nasty one and talking would have only prolonged the fear.

'Do you need to be left alone?'

Did I? I thought about it for a second, then shook my head again. I needed someone there.

'Okay.'

Don sat with me until my trembling ceased – saying nothing, but keeping his hand on my shoulder, letting me know he was there and that I didn't have to face my fears alone.

Honestly, I don't know what I'd do without him. We kept each other sane, comforted each other when we fell apart, knew what to do to make the other smile. Without Don, I think I would have lost it a long time ago. A _long_ time ago.

* * *

My brothers must be the best in the universe. I mean it - I challenge you to find a family that is stronger or more closely knit than ours. Sure, we've had our bad times, but we always figure it out before long. It was interesting to watch the other facets of their personalities be revealed more often after the Incident, and to have some respite from being the leader, and instead focus on being the brother I often forget to be. I feel like I understand them more than I used to.

Don's change has perhaps been the most dramatic. His stronger half has leapt to the surface, beating the others in sparring almost every time and making him an excellent teacher.

Then there's Mikey. He often appears to be a brainless 'dude', but he's more perceptive than he looks. He's been helping Donnie with ideas for new inventions, and strangely, some of them have actually worked.

Even Raph, our resident hot-headed tough guy, has a softer side that shows in the way he watches out for Mikey during a fight, or drags Don out of the lab to go for a run. No matter how grumpy he may seem, he really does care about us a lot.

No amount of scrubbing could remove every single trace of the writing on my wall. Raph started scavenging for paint, Don stuck notes over it with little stories he remembered from our childhood, and every day there would be a new cartoon drawing, brightly coloured, in the big-eyed anime style that Mikey favoured. None of this completely blocked out the writing, but it helped me to forget it when I had to.

As I said, they are the best.

No doubt about it.

When we returned to the main lair, the others had left the dojo and were watching a movie. I could feel their concerned eyes on me as I sat down, but we were all soon engrossed in _Shaun of the Dead_ and nothing was said – for which I was grateful. Although I didn't mind the concern, I did not want to be treated like an invalid.

After the movie was finished, Raph noticed my yawning and told me to get some sleep. Too tired to argue, I shuffled into my bedroom and flopped down face-first onto my mattress, falling asleep in an instant.

That night, I had a rather strange dream…

* * *

_'__Come down, little ninja. Come down.'_

_'__No.'_

_'__You know you must. We will take care of you.'_

_'__I have my brothers.'_

_'__They take you for granted.'_

_'__I don't care. They are my brothers and I will protect them to the end.'_

_'__Oh, we'll see…'_

_A laugh – deep, chuckling, evil – as two glittering red eyes herded a figure forward, half-hidden by shadows._

_'__Light and dark. Yin and Yang. Order and chaos. Life and death. White and black. Good and evil. There is no grey area, Blue. You can only choose one side, and your actions have shown that you will fall into darkness and let it consume you!'_

_The figure stretched out an arm, and darkness gathered in its palm, tendrils twisting and reaching out to suck the life from whatever they could find._

_As the figure stepped out into the moonlight, a black mask fluttered in the wind, framing dark, emotionless eyes that no longer held any life. A cruel smile spread over the green-skinned face, and with a laugh that seemed alien to him, the figure sent forth the shadows to kill and destroy._

* * *

I woke to my own terrified yell and heard the sounds of running feet, then the voices of my brothers as they rushed into my room.

'Leo!'

'_Ani_, what's wrong?'

'You alright, bro?'

'Just a nightmare,' I replied, feeling my heart rate slowly return to normal. 'I'm okay. Really.' Don gave me a strange look and I knew that he didn't believe me. _Damn that empathic bond!_ The others hesitated, but seemed satisfied with my answer and returned to their rooms. My twin, however, didn't seem so sure. 'You _are_ okay, right, Leo?'

'I'm fine now, Donnie. I appreciate your concern, but I'm alright. It was just a nightmare.' I smiled at him and he sighed, relieved. 'Okay. I was just worried, you know. So much has happened in the last month, and -'

'Donnie. Everything's going to be fine. I've made it through tougher things, I can make it through this. I have you three to help me.'

'If you do have paranoid schizophrenia, Leo, you will most likely be dealing with it the rest of your life. And if your empathic ability starts developing further…'

He sighed and sat down next to me on the bed. 'We must have the worst luck in the world. Everything just _happens_ to us , and we usually find ourselves hanging by a thread at the end of it. Heck, it _snapped_ not long ago. When will it stop? Even just for a little while?'

Don looked so forlorn and dejected that on impulse I took his hand and squeezed it, trying to offer some sort of comfort. He gave me a slight smile, whispered a thank-you, and returned to bed. I watched him go until the door shut, then fell back on my pillows and stared at the ceiling. I hated lying to Donnie. That dream had shaken me badly.

Because I had woken on realising that figure had been me.


	3. Don: Imposter

**I do not own the TMNT. Damn.**

* * *

Don: Imposter

I could hear the sounds of my younger brothers sparring as I headed into my lab for another inventing session. My current project was rather small – an electromagnetic grenade designed to disable electrical equipment within a certain radius. The idea, strangely, had come from Mikey. He'd been watching _The Matrix_ and was fascinated by how such a seemingly simple electromagnetic pulse could incapacitate the large squid robots. He'd then turned to me and asked if it was possible for EMPs to be made smaller.

I couldn't resist the challenge, and it was proving to be an interesting one. So far the main problem was figuring out how to actually _test_ the grenades without disabling the nearby substation that controlled just under half of Manhattan's power. That would have gotten interesting – not to mention dangerous.

But that morning my brain kept ticking over something else – the burst of unadulterated fear that had woken me the night before. Fear like that didn't come from just _any_ nightmare had a distinct suspicion that Leo had been lying when he told me he was okay, in typical Leo fashion. The specifics of his condition still eluded me – he had the symptoms of auditory hallucinations, occasional paranoia and sporadic memory loss, but they came together in such a way that I couldn't be sure of my diagnosis of schizophrenia. I also didn't know if some of these symptoms were just his empathic ability making itself known.

_Damn it_. Mental illness was not in my area of expertise. I could set broken bones, treat third-degree burns, I once had to repair a collapsed lung – but when it came to psychiatry, that knowledge had taken a back seat in favour of lifesaving surgery and antivenins. It was just Leo's and my luck. Our _bad _luck.

I wanted to go find Leo and ask him about his dream, tell him that I needed to know every symptom so that I could diagnose and treat him. But something held me back. Leo didn't like being asked those sorts of questions, and his emotions lately had been erratic at best.

That, and I'd get an earful for interrupting his morning meditation. That was a big no-no even for me. We'd learned early in life that Leo hated being interrupted during any one of three things – practise, meditation, or reading a book. Mikey found this last one extremely laughable, and used to tease Leo about getting lost in 'faraway lands'. Honestly – Leo has a GPS in his head, I'm sure; he never gets lost even in unfamiliar territory. It's just another one of those numerous incredible things about my brother that I will never understand.

I sighed, gathering together my tools and the half-finished EMG, then chose a random playlist on my computer and pressed the play button. The strains of 'Gravity Hurts' came through the speakers, and I smiled as Leo poked his head around the door. We loved this song – it seemed to suit our little team perfectly. 'Hi, Leo. Come to help, or do you just like the song?'

'I'll help.'

'Okay.' He sat down and I handed him a map of the city and a pen. 'I need you to help me with finding a place to test these without disabling anything we shouldn't.'

'Right.'

* * *

There was a companionable silence as we set to work, Leo measuring epicenters and blast radii while I finished the grenade's outer casing and detonation system. I looked sideways at my brother and noticed the tiredness hanging over him. Had he got _any_ sleep? Much as I hated treating Leo like a weakened invalid, rest was essential to his recovery. He'd almost died earlier in the week, and his immune system was still dealing with the collateral damage.

Something else that still bothered me was the continual lack of Sanguine traits. Whereas mine had shown up unexpectedly and terrifyingly not long after our escape from the laboratories, Leo had yet to even get angry at anyone, instead being more withdrawn and introverted than usual – although I had a feeling that was partly due to the voices and his encroaching paranoia. I knew I had to ask the question sometime. As matter-of-factly as I could, I said, 'So – are you okay? I mean, you seemed pretty freaked out last night.'

Leo didn't answer for a minute. I waited patiently, knowing that forcing the issue would only discourage him from opening up and being honest about his feelings.

'I… I'm not sure. I keep having such vivid nightmares… wake up in a cold sweat every other night… sometimes they feel more like visions than dreams…' He trailed off, staring at the pen in his hand, and I mentally slapped myself; I'd given him the same pen he'd used to write _that note_! The last thing he needed was to have those memories triggered! But he stayed silent, shivering once before continuing with the map.

I had to hand it to him – Leo was getting better at keeping the memories and the voices under control, just like I was with my Sanguine condition. We had been helping each other with strategies, although Leo's issues had been proving stubborn. What he needed was medication, but I had no way of acquiring the prescription drugs needed. Not legally, anyway…

* * *

Several minutes passed, the silence awkward rather than friendly like before. I tinkered with various long-term projects, allowing my mind to wander.

A tingling in my fingers snapped me back to reality. 'Leo…' He whipped round and caught sight of my erratic breathing, jumping to his feet and scrambling for the med cupboard. A few anxious moments, then a sting in the back of my neck as Leo quickly but carefully injected the sedative I used to fight the sporadic transformations my body attempted – transformations that, if I was not sedated, would be deadly to anyone in range.

As I sat terrified in my seat, my muscles giving an involuntary spasm every so often as my worse half tried to fight the sedative, Leo kept an arm around me, steadying me as I battled with the beast. I could tell he was trying not to collapse into a quivering mess, and was only staying strong because he knew I needed his help to get past this.

Thank goodness for twin brothers. That empathic bond we share allows us to nip each other's anxieties in the bud, though I can't actually _prevent_ Leo's episodes and he still has to struggle with the crippling fear that I feel during each near-loss of control. I know it's been harder on him, feeling those other, out-of-control sides – like imposters in our own bodies – scrabble for freedom just below the surface.

When my breathing returned to normal and my muscles began to relax, Leo's hands lingered on my shoulders before he returned to the map. I slumped in my seat, the sedatives having made me drowsy. Crossing my arms on the desk, I rested my tired head on top of them and closed my eyes.

Leo murmured something I couldn't quite catch, then I felt a blanket being draped around me, settling into a comfortable warmth across my back. A hand ran through my hair once, then there was the sound of a chair being pushed forward, several footsteps, and the door to my lab closed.

As I drifted off, I wondered how long such a fragile mind could hold up to such stress before breaking down completely. That façade of unwavering strength disguised a soul that had been dangerously shattered, and when Leo's façade slipped, things would very likely get interesting…


	4. Raph: War Game

**Okay, so Raph was difficult to write. Sorry about the long wait, you wonderful reviewers. :)**

**(Skipping with a fake happy grin) La la la la la! I don't own any of them!**

* * *

Raph: War Game

Mikey let out a grunt of surprise as I flipped him over my shoulder for the second time in ten minutes. I was usually better at the judo stuff, despite his annoying habit of being always just out of reach. Kid could move fast when he had to, though he'd never been quicker than Don, who was now even faster due to his vampire issues.

Man, Bishop was gonna have his butt handed to him if the twins ever got a chance. You only had to ask for a game of chess for the pained looks to start. Mention his name and pencils, chopsticks and practise dummies would quickly get broken. Believe you me - if he ever crosses our path again, he'll find out the true meanings of the words 'anger', 'fear' and 'pain'. That'll be a good day. I hope I'm there to see the fear in his cold little eyes when he dies choking on his own blood. Call me sadistic, but it's no more than he deserves for hurting my older brothers.

* * *

The first time I saw Leo have an episode, I think I freaked slightly. Don was out scavenging with Mikey and it took a few minutes for him to answer his cell.

'_Don, Leo's havin' an episode. What do I do?'_

_'You need to be there, Raph. Sit with him, keep a hand on his arm, and hug him if you have to. He needs to know there's someone on his side who he can call for help. We'll be back as soon as we can, just stay with him.'_

_''Kay.'_

I hung up and returned to the dojo, where Leo was curled in a ball in the far corner. The look on his face made my heart clench. I mean, this was _Leo_. Untouchable, unbreakable, invincible. So seeing him cowering at the back of the room, trembling and terrified, just felt wrong. My big brother, _nii-san_, Fearless Leader, brought to a shivering mess by the voices in his head.

Oh, yeah. Bishop was gonna pay big time.

I have to admit, I was at a loss for what to do. I'm no good at words or the fluffy stuff. I'd never been very close to Leo either, instead usually finding myself feeling very far away. Like I was at that moment. On the other side of the dojo.

Something clicked in my thick head and I practically leapt across the room, falling to my knees beside my whimpering brother and pulling him into a tight hug. 'Listen ta me, Leo. I want ya to remember somethin' always, 'kay?' He nodded despite the pained look on his face, trying to focus even as the voices tried to bring him down.

'I want ya to remember that even when Don's not here ya can still ask for help, cuz I'm always prepared an' I'll neva back down when ya need me to fight for ya. You remember that, 'kay?'

A nod, slight, before Leo buried his face in my shirt and let out a few choked sobs. I kept my arms around him, just letting him lean on what strength I could give him, holding him until his body gave in to the exhaustion and he fell asleep.

That was how Don and Mikey found us fifteen minutes later, Leo sleeping curled up in my lap like a cat while I sat leaning against the wall. 'I can't move, Don.'

'It's not as if he'll mind – he's pretty out of it.'

'No, it's just my legs have gone numb.'

'Ah. Alright then.' Don smiled gently and picked Leo up, carrying him out to the couch while Mike grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

Don dipped his head in my direction as I passed, and a warm feeling spread through my heart as I knew I'd done well.

Leo's got better at blocking the voices since then, which means his episodes don't happen as often. But that usually means they get really bad, and now he's been having nightmares. He doesn't talk about them to anyone – which probably means they're really terrifying. Leo's never been very open about stuff, and now that he's all paranoid it's worse still, but we try to help as much as we can, and I think we're doing okay.

* * *

I flipped Mike over again and he landed in a heap. 'Awww… Raphiiieeee… agaaaaain?'

I hate that nickname. _Hate it._

He tried to get up, but cried out and grabbed his left arm._ Oh, crap – had I thrown harder than usual?_ I rushed over, afraid that he'd been hurt bad, but as I reached down his face lit up with that stupid grin and I knew I'd been duped. 'April Fool, Raphie!'

I snorted. 'It's October the twelfth, doofus.'

'So?'

I heard a laugh and turned to see Don standing in the doorway. 'Only you would try that, Mikey,' he chuckled as he walked over to help the bonehead up. Mike grabbed his hand, but only made it halfway to his feet before he gave another pained cry and clung to Donnie. 'My ankle… I thought I was okay…'

Aw, shell. I _had_ hurt him.

Don helped Mikey into the infirmary, sitting him down on the table and gently examining the ankle, which looked red and was starting to swell up. 'Looks like a first-degree sprain, baby bro,' he said, "doctor-mode" in full swing, 'Not too bad, but you'll have trouble walking for a few weeks. And I shouldn't have to remind you that rest is _essential_.'

'Aww, but, _Donniiiieee…_'

'Don't "but, Donnie" me, Mike, sucking up will get you nowhere. You have a sprained ankle, so you are to _take it easy_, you hear me? If you have to walk around, do so with help - and _slowly_. Understand?'

Mikey's face fell, but he knew not to argue with Donnie in "doctor mode". 'Yes, Don.'

'Good. I'll get you a bandage and some painkillers. Don't move a muscle.'

I rolled my eyes. 'Accordin' ta you, the heart's a muscle. Should he stop movin' that too?'

Don smirked. 'That can be arranged.'

'Doctor Frankenstein.'

'Tofu-brained dunderwhelp.'

'Uh… geek-boy.'

'Zowerswopped microcephalic Neanderthal.'

'Um… uh…insert witty comeback here?'

'Nice try. Beat you again.'

'Damn.' Seriously, how can the nerd, the least badass out of all of us, have the best insults? Somehow it just doesn't seem right. Don's smirk grew wider. 'Dankish idle-headed knotty-pated footlicker.'

'Seriously - who talks like that?'

'Shakespeare.'

'Oh, ferget it.'

Don bandaged Mikey's ankle, the little guy complaining the whole time and being a drama queen. He's had injuries like this a thousand times; you'd think he'd be used to it. The genius, of course, just sighed as if there was nothing we could do about our baby brother's ridiculous attitude.

Then, suddenly, he froze. Mike, panicking, quickly asked what was wrong. Don looked around, frowning. 'It's not you, Mike, you're fine, really. I just had this strange ominous feeling…' He led us out of the infirmary – Mike hopping on one foot – hands clenching into fists as he prepared for any attacks that may come. But the lair was so quiet that you could've heard a feather fall to the floor.

A slight buzz made itself known at the back of my skull, then pain exploded in my head and everything went black.

* * *

**O_O Oh dear… here's where it gets interesting…**


	5. Mikey: The Cosmic Puppets

**Disclaimer: (bangs head on desk)**

* * *

Mikey: The Cosmic Puppets

The first thing that came to my attention was that my head hurt like shell. And my ankle. And everything else. And I had no idea where I was. So maybe it all came to me at once.

As I got to my feet, trying to keep weight off my sprain, the next thing I realised was _Wow, this place is colourful._ It was almost like I'd walked straight into the test room of a 70s designer. So much colour everywhere. Pink and orange and green and red and yellow and purple… in fact, as I looked around, the only colours missing were white and blue. It was really weird. Being me, I decided to go exploring. Maybe I would find out who brought me here, or at least find Donnie and Raph. And the place looked so radical that I just wanted to see it all!

Moving slowly, 'cause Don would _murder_ me if I made my ankle worse, I limped to the door, opened it, and looked out of it into…

I think my jaw dropped to the floor. I was inside what looked like a funhouse from Alice in Wonderland. _Whoa,_ I thought, _either I'm having some really wacked-out dream, or whoever built this place was on a hippy trip._ I was kinda hoping for the latter, 'cause if I was dreaming this, I really must have been messed up. There's usually a method to my madness, but this was just ridiculous.

I walked up a staircase and found out it went nowhere.

I opened a door and banged into a wall.

I found windows that opened onto other rooms rather than the outside. Heck, I wasn't even sure there was an outside.

The place was _insane_.

* * *

I climbed another staircase and entered a room I was sure I'd been in five minutes ago. The total lack of furniture made all the rooms look the same, due to their psychedelic walls and floors and, well, everything. It was _so_ disorienting, and I couldn't find a way out.

The fear crept in as I realised this place had me completely lost. An old fear, from years before, started to freeze my brain, and I backed out of the room, slipping and tumbling down the staircase. _Ow, my ankle!_ My cry of pain echoed around the empty rooms, bouncing around the corners and half-deafening me.

Then a laugh, snickering, came from nowhere, and a very familiar voice half-sang, half-chanted what I recognised as a nursery rhyme – but the words were different.

'What's Michelangelo made of? What's Michelangelo made of? Bones and skin and an ear-to-ear grin, that's what we think he's made of!'

I gulped. 'Leo?'

There was a silence. The back of my neck prickled, and I whirled around to see all the technicolour shades darken, turning the funhouse into a madhouse. A cold breeze brushed across the back of my neck, sending me shivering. 'Leo? What's going on?'

A chuckle echoed around the house, then the sing-song voice returned. 'Oh, Mikey. Mikey, Mike, Mikester, Michelangelo. Leo doesn't want to talk to you. Leo doesn't need you anymore.' I turned to see my big brother standing on the other side of the room, a cold smile on his face and his eyes dark. And I mean dark. Like, black. With scary red irises glaring out from them. 'And why would he? Leo's got us now.'

It dawned on me that this was _not_ my brother. At least not at the moment.

'Whaddaya mean, _us_?' I asked. Not-Leo's smirk widened to a grin the Joker would have been proud of – and that movie had scared me half to death. 'Us means I. And the shadows.'

Doors that _definitely_ hadn't been there before burst open, and an army of puppets zombie walked towards me. Moth-eaten, raggedy, clown-faced puppets. My heart started to race.

I can't stand puppets.

**Michelangeloooo… **they chorused, their faces splitting into horrible, evil smiles. _I'm dreaming, I'm dreaming._

**Michelangeloooo…**

Mittened hands reaching out to grab me –

Would-be-sweet voices warbling –

**Michelangeloooo…**

'We know you like games,' laughed Not-Leo. 'So let's play a game. How about _chase?!_' The puppets grinned and clapped their hands excitedly. _Oh, spit._

I ran.

* * *

_Damn it, damn it, damn it…_

My ankle felt like it was on fire from all the running. It was getting hard to breathe from all the running. I was being chased by Not-Leo controlled puppets, who were the cause of all the running. And to top it all off, I was once again completely lost. _No… no… don't like lost… scared… want my bros…_

A door opened and the puppets entered, followed by Not-Leo, who jumped onto one of the puppets' shoulders, laughing maniacally. 'Rockabye Mikey, with terrified dreams – when the wind blows, we can't hear your screams. When we all catch you, you know you will die – with no one to hear when you say your goodbye!'

I was backed against a wall. This was the end.

Then I had an idea. If I was dreaming…

As the puppets approached me I scrunched my eyes shut and thought hard. A hole appeared beneath me and I fell, Not-Leo's laughter following me down. 'It won't be that easy, Michelangelo! Good luck finding your way through _there_!'

I landed hard, finding myself in a dark stone tunnel, small lights flickering along the walls every few feet. Trying to get up, I stumbled – _ow ow ow that hurts_ – and fell back on my hands and knees. _I'm sorry, bros._

The pain spiked, and I blacked out, hearing a quiet whisper in my head.

_Hang on, baby brother. I need you…_

* * *

**Bah. This was creepier in my mind… it's okay, I guess. What do you wonderful reviewers think?**


	6. Raph: Vulcan's Hammer

**I am sorry, readers, for taking so long with this one. I got stuck halfway through and it fell stagnant for a few days…**

* * *

Raph: Vulcan's Hammer

Waking up when your head feels like there's a herd of rampaging elephants inside it _really_ sucks. And being in an unfamiliar place doesn't help with the stress. So I was in a bad position overall. As my brain started to process my surroundings, I tried to sit up and instantly regretted it. _Ugh… dizzy… gonna puke…_

After emptying my stomach onto whatever surface was beneath me, I looked up to find myself in what looked like the inside of a volcano, with lava pools bubbling and a fierce heat scorching my skin. _Damn, it's hot in here. Where am I?_

I got to my feet, looking around for any clues as to how I'd been brought here. No tire tracks, footprints, alien-abduction scorch marks. There didn't seem to be any exits to the cave either.

No way in, no way out.

So how _had_ I got in?

A breeze blew through, whipping searing air around and picking up dust and ash from the cave floor. Where had it come from? Wind didn't just pick up in an empty space like that. Well, unless Mikey had eaten baked beans recently… But it had definitely been there, I hadn't imagined it.

Weird.

I looked up.

In the centre of the lava lake was a natural column of stone, which went up as far as I could see. Lava spouted from several holes near the base, and stepping-stones formed a winding path to where the column met the lake. 'Damn. Do I have to _climb_ that thing?'

No answer, of course. _Oh well. Nothing for it then, eh?_

Jump. Jump. Jump. _Don't-fall-in-the-lava-crap-that-was-a-close-one_… Heart pounded as I nearly slipped and fell to my incinerating death. Head spinning from the heat. Skin burning as stray lava spat. Such a short distance, but it felt like ages. With every step I was so close to being cremated alive.

Where the _hell_ was this?

I reached the base of the pillar and began to climb. _Ow. Damn. Hot. Burning skin off my hands - knees - feet - oww._

That was when things started to get _really_ weird, as a cold, mocking voice sang a familiar sounding rhyme.

'Incy Wincy Raphie climbed up the magma spout. Down came the lava and washed the turtle out! Out came the reaper to give him endless pain, and make sure Raphie never climbed up the spout again!' This song was followed by what had to be the most malevolent giggle I'd ever heard. Someone was here, someone who knew my name.

'Raaaaphiieee, where aaaare youu?

I looked down and gulped as I saw my eldest brother standing back over on dry land, staring up at me, his eyes a scary, glittering red, the whites black as midnight. 'Leo?'

'Hey, Fearless Leader. What'cha doing?'

That smile on his face wasn't friendly.

Neither was the way he said 'Fearless Leader'…

* * *

_ONE WEEK EARLIER…_

_Leo curled into a ball and rested his head on the arm of the couch, sighing as he picked up the remote and flipped through the channels without really paying attention to what was on._

_He was exhausted. Three attacks in thirty-two hours had drained him completely, and a question was haunting the deepest reaches of his mind. How could he live with this and still look after his brothers, still lead them in battle? He was a liability._

_As he absent-mindedly clicked the same button on the remote, he thought carefully on the subject and came to a decision._

_Ten minutes later, after a quick trip to Don's lab and a quick talk with Mikey, Leo climbed the stairs to the upper level and headed into the garage, where Raph was cleaning his motorbike. 'Hey, Raph?'_

_'What's up, big bro?'_

_'…Can I ask you something?'_

_Another ten minutes and Raph was officially the new team leader._

_But that night the doubts attacked him and he fled to Leo's room, where his brother was lying on his stomach in the middle of the floor, sketching. 'Leo, I don't think I can do this, I'm not ready, I'll never be a great leader like you-' Raph's quiet but panicked voice was cut off as Leo gently placed a finger to his brother's beak. 'First of all, Raph, you've seen that I find it hard to even go outside, let alone lead you guys if we get into a scrap. I thought about asking Donnie, but he's got his own issues. Secondly, no one could ever really be ready for this. I wasn't. Third, the others have accepted you as their new leader – how much more proof do you need?'_

_Raph calmed down, but there was still something he had to say. 'I'll lead then. I'll give the orders. As long as ya tell me exactly what to say.'_

_'As long as I'm sane at that point in time.'_

_'Oh, I ain't doin' what a maniac tells me.'_

_Leo smiled, and Raph knew he understood. 'Get to bed, you big lug. And don't worry – I'm always here.'_

_'Yeah. Night, Leo.'_

_'Night, Fearless Leader.'_

* * *

I instinctively shimmied higher. That grin on "Leo's" face was really creeping me out. 'Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?'

"Leo" snickered, a sound that seemed alien to that familiar face. 'Oh, Raphie, he's right here! You don't recognize him?' The malevolent giggle sounded again. 'Ding-dong bell, Raphie's in the well! Who put him in? The boy in blue and green!'

'You did this? Where are Don an' Mike?'

'Haven't checked on smarty-pants yet. Little one's unconscious right now, though. Didn't like my game.'

I knew right then that this creature could not be my brother.

Or perhaps Leo had finally gone insane.

Which could not be good. Leo was dangerous enough when he was in control. Without that – it was a scary thought, alright.

"Leo" skipped across the stepping-stones and swarmed up the column like a spider, passing me and swinging up onto a tightrope that stretched to a ledge on the cavern wall. 'Wonder what would happen to Blue if I fell into the lava? Would he die?'

'Don't you dare.'

'Awww – Raphie doesn't want to lose anyone else. Already lost Daddy, gonna lose his brothers too!'

Another crazed laugh as "Leo" teetered on one foot, the rope wobbling dangerously. 'Bye-bye, Raphie!' And he dived, vanishing into the lava beneath. _Oh, no. Nonononono._

But my attention was quickly redirected as a chittering sound came from above and I looked up to find myself staring at an army of bugs that were clambering down the column. With a terrified yell I scrambled backwards, until a chunk of rock broke off in my hand and I fell.

There was a brief burning sensation, a feeling of slowing down, and then my back hit stone. I opened my eyes to see the roof of a corridor above me… _I'm dreaming…_ then that voice, echoing down the torch-lit hall. 'Aw. It didn't work? Well, I'll just have to kill Raphie myself! Ooh, goody-goody-goody…'

_Crud._ I got to my feet, wincing as I tried to ignore the pain, and began to run.

* * *

**I'm scared of the next chapter. It's going to be quite disturbing and creepifying. (shivers) Watch out, Donnie.**


	7. Don: We Can Build You

**No rights reserved, people. Don't own any turtles. :(**

* * *

Don: We Can Build You

My eyes snapped open as I returned to wakefulness. What had just happened? I'd been fixing Mike's sprained ankle, then that weird ominous feeling, we'd gone into the living space, and then… I'd blacked out.

Then what? I certainly wasn't in the lair anymore – it was too bright for that. What did I know? Not much – my head hurt, it was cold, and the lighting bill for the place must have been huge, but that's all I could garner form lying prone on the floor. The hard concrete that scraped against my hands as I scrabbled to my feet. Grey, red-spattered concrete.

_No. Not here. My nightmare._

_I'm asleep? Perhaps comatose. My mind's running away with me and feels the need to go through some torture scenarios._

I tried the door.

It wasn't locked. _Huh. Weird. _Usually the door stood up to whatever I could throw at it, including feral vampire rage._ So not my usual nightmare then. What in the name of Steve Jobs is going on?_

With the door open, I could see down a long corridor, at right angles to my cell. Looking out, everything was silent. Too silent. _Okay, clichés aren't going to help me here – get thinking, Don._

A noise to my right nearly scared me to death, and I quickly ran down the left-hand corridor, ducking through a side tunnel and flattening myself against the wall. The tramping of metal boots came closer… what was I thinking? This place was like broad daylight! I couldn't hide – I had to run!

* * *

I figured they had to be robots. Fitted with motion sensors, heat vision, and x-rays. That was the only possible explanation for them following me everywhere I went. That or there was an empath telling them where to go.

'Donatello! You can't hide forever, brother dear!'

Sometimes I hate being right.

I recognised the strange feeling at the back of my mind. I was definitely lucid-dreaming. Well, I was just going to use this like a training exercise - no point in wasting a perfectly horrible nightmare. Pulling my mask tighter to psyche myself up, I sprung out into the corridor and leapt over a line of startled-looking robots, allowing myself a grin before I sprinted for my life.

Then screeched to a halt several seconds later as I came face-to-face with Leo.

Or something that looked like Leo.

Those red and black eyes were a little too far from the original. Along with the malicious smile that split into a grin at my surprised expression. 'Hey there, Don-Don! Why're you running so fast? Going somewhere?'

'Uh… hey, Leo. I was just running for my life with killer robots chasing me.'

The Leo-creature laughed, a manic, hysterical laugh that made my hair stand on end. 'Killer robots? Don't be silly, Donnie-boy. They don't kill, they build! They take things and they upgrade them!'

'Oh. So – if they catch me…'

He gave a toothy grin. 'Well – I never said it wouldn't hurt.'

_Oh, frell._

_Run… run… keep running…_

_Ignore your feet, cut and bruised from the glass scattered along the last hallway you ran down. Ignore the feeling that your heart will burst from your chest from the combined exertion and fear. Ignore the ever-present laughter that sends chills up your spine and sets your teeth on edge._

_Worry about the fact that you've been running for at least ten minutes and still haven't woken up._

As these thoughts assailed me, I turned a corner, distracted, and ran straight into a battalion of robots, the creature that looked like my twin sitting on one's shoulders giggling madly. 'Fe, fi, fo, fum, I smell the fear of a turtle-man! That brilliant mind will soon be gone – without your soul you can't live on!'

Something connected with the back of my head, and I blacked out.

* * *

_…__ugh… myhead…pain…whereamI… beingheldinsomething… warm… sticky… amIfloating…?_

My eyes opened to a red glow all around. I could see tubes and wires, and _something_ was clamped over my beak, feeding me oxygen. Oh, shell – I was in a _tank_. Panic made itself known before my sight faded again and I drifted into a world of blackness.

When I next woke I could see the roof of a laboratory, the fluorescent strip lights glaring down on me. Turning my head I discovered the room was empty. I jumped off the cold metal table, ran for the door and wrenched it open, only to take a step back as I nearly fell – the door opened onto what seemed like an endless, stone-lined tunnel that dropped straight down.

There was a giggle from behind me, and the sing-song voice sounded again. 'Donatello sat on a wall, Donatello had a great fall! Lost all his family and lost all his friends, no one to put Don together again!' Another giggle. 'Although, you can survive that fall now, can't you?' I looked at him in confusion. 'No living thing could-'

My voice cut off as I realised something was wrong. That didn't sound completely like me, it sounded… electronic. Robotic. Holding my hands up in front of my face, I saw threads of circuitry running over my skin, and on further reflection realised they were everywhere, collecting into components at vital points.

One of my worst fears was haunting me – I was no longer myself. I backed away from the giggling creature, the panic returning.

I forgot that I'd left the door open.

* * *

The fall seemed to happen in slow motion, but I certainly hit the ground at a tremendous speed, causing a small crater. Getting to my feet, I thought on how ironic this was – my fear had saved my life.

A slight glow caught my attention, and I looked closer to see a small child peeking around a corner, its golden eyes wide as it saw my cybernetic "enhancements".

'What are you?'

'I'm a mutant. My name's Don. What's yours?'

'I am called Knife.'

* * *

**Oooh, ooh, do you get it? ^_^**

**The next couple of chapters are a multi-level scene and will be written in third person so it doesn't get confusing.**

**By the way, has anyone figured out the chapter names yet? Besides my buddy Rex of course – I told her.**


	8. The Broken Bubble: Part One

**'Ullo, everyone. By now you've probably noticed that I revised the prologue. I have changed something in my plan for where this story is going to get to, and the prologue needed to be revised for it to work. Also, this chapter is in third-person, with three separate groups of characters.**

**I don't own any trademarked characters what-so-ever. :P**

* * *

The Broken Bubble: Part One

_April was worried. Raph and Mikey were late for their regular movie afternoon, and they hadn't called to say they'd been held up. Which meant something had to be wrong._

_'__Casey?'_

_'__Yeah, babe?'_

_'__Are you sure we don't have any messages?'_

_'__I'm sure as sure can be.'_

_'__Okay. We're heading down to the lair _now_. Something's not right.'_

* * *

Don jumped as the now-familiar malicious laugh echoed down the hall. The torches flickered, casting strange, distorted shadows. Knife shrank from the sound, a whimper escaping his mouth from where it was shadowed under the hood of his jacket. Golden eyes – all that were visible – filled with terrified tears. 'Reaper! He's coming! We have to go!'

'Where? This place is a complete maze!

'We must find your brothers. Follow me!'

Knife beckoned, and they ran down the stone corridors until the laughter faded away.

* * *

_'__Guys? Hello?'_

_'__Hey, hide'n'seek ninja-style ain't nice!'_

_'__Casey! Over here!'_

_The vigilante rushed to where April was kneeling beside an unconscious Leonardo. 'Looks like he was heading downstairs. Didn't quite get there.'_

_'__Is he okay?'_

_'__In all outward appearances, yes. It's as if he just collapsed. Pick him up, we'll get him to the infirmary – then we've got to find the others.'_

_'__He's lighter than he looks.'_

_'__Hmm. He's always been skinny.'_

_'__Yeah, well…'_

_Casey's voice faded away as they beheld another three unconscious bodies lying near the infirmary door._

_Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo._

* * *

Raph knew that Don would tear his hair out if he knew he was running around with the majority of his skin covered in rather nasty burns. Don was completely OCD when it came to medical stuff. Although it would be interesting to see, now that he actually had hair _to _tear out.

He smiled at the mental image, then winced as the pain flared again. _How did I survive? How does this place even work? Is it some wacky mind-trick thing?_

As he walked down the corridor, lost in thought, he suddenly found himself flat on his face, having tripped over a feebly stirring Mikey.

* * *

_Casey watched as April checked their friends for signs of injury. This was all becoming a little too unnerving. The first three turtles had no injuries barring Mikey's sprained ankle, and their bodies were functioning normally. Breathing, heart rate, eye dilation - all fine. In fact, in all outward appearances they seemed to be asleep._

_While Casey had been manoeuvring the turtles into the infirmary, April had searched almost everywhere in the lair for signs of a struggle or attack, and found nothing. The source of their condition was a complete mystery. And that, naturally, was bothering her. A lot._

_She moved on to the final turtle - Leo - and quickly checked his vitals, her worry swiftly growing. 'His breathing's erratic,' she said, a concerned frown making its way across her face. 'We'll have to keep an eye on him especially.'_

_April knew that Casey was wondering the same thing as her - what had happened to Leo that the others had avoided?_

* * *

Raph picked himself up off the floor, working his jaw to make sure it was still functioning. 'Mikey,' he grumbled half-heartedly, 'whatcha doin' on the floor? Guy could trip over ya there.'

Mike's only response was a pained whimper, and his blue eyes flickered open, tears of fright and physical hurt glimmering in the light of the torches. Raph's heart melted. Nobody could resist that look. Even tough, hot-headed older brothers were no longer immune, and Raph gently hooked one arm behind Mikey's back and the other under his knees and lifted his little brother off the cold stones. The younger turtle threw his arms around Raph's neck and buried his face into the crook.

Raph frowned as he felt Mikey trembling. _Must have had a real fright._ 'Hang on, Mike. We're gonna get outta here.'

* * *

_Casey sat by his best friend's bed, gloomily watching the rise and fall of Raph's chest that meant the turtle was still breathing. Resting his chin on his hands, he closed his eyes and began to doze off._

_April came into the infirmary and smiled as she saw her boyfriend's devotion to his "pal". Quietly, she walked over and kissed his cheek before draping a blanket across his shoulders._

_She sighed as she surveyed the four comatose mutants, and her eyes lingered on Leo. He wasn't looking so good. Crossing to his bedside, she pulled up a chair and brushed a lock of black hair off his forehead, taking in how thin he'd become lately. He looked like he hadn't eaten in three days. Even his hand, when she took it in both of hers, seemed insubstantial – but maybe that was just the lack of grip that it was currently showing._

_'__Come on, guys,' she whispered. 'Come back to us.'_

* * *

Knife seemed to have boundless energy, but eventually Don had to wave breathlessly for him to stop. 'Can't – run forever – like you,' he gasped. 'Got – to rest – sometimes.'

'Okay. But we can't stop for long,' replied the boy, looking around uneasily. 'We have to find our brothers.'

'_Our_ brothers? You got – siblings - too?'

For all he knew, Knife could have been giving him a strange look, but Don couldn't see it under the hood. Then he gulped as if nervous, and the genius had a strange feeling that Knife hadn't wanted to say "our". 'Yes. Our brothers. Raphael and Michelangelo.'

If there was ever a look of more incredulity on Donatello Hamato's face, it was in the next moment when the boy gingerly let his hood fall back. Barring the white hair and golden eyes, Knife looked like a seven-year-old version of –

Don finally found his voice. 'But – but – you're _Leo!_'

Knife shuffled his feet and looked slightly sad. 'Only part of him.'

* * *

**Aaaaaaaand… epic cliffie. Sorry everyone, you'll just have to wait until the next chapter. :D**


	9. The Broken Bubble: Part Two

**Okay, maybe I should write a poem called 'If I Owned the Turtles'. Maybe _that_ can be my next oneshot**.

* * *

The Broken Bubble: Part Two

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

_April stared at the green line that was counting Don's heartbeats. It was strange to hear four sets of repeating sound, all beating at different times, different strengths, different speeds._

_She was finding herself feeling increasingly anxious. Stuff like this just didn't happen. How could four perfectly healthy boys just _end up_ unconscious, with no possible explanation as to _why_? The worry was starting to consume her in a series of endless 'what-ifs' - what if they had contracted some alien illness? What if they were going to progress to a vegetative state? What if they never woke up?_

_And soon the worry was laced with anger. __**Whoever did this is going to be facing off with "April the Harpy from Hell" before long**__…_

* * *

Knife watched as Don walked around in a circle, occasionally muttering to himself or rubbing his forehead. Finally he stopped and faced the boy, clasping his hands together and resting his chin on top of them. 'Okay. I think I've got the whole thing straight. You, Reaper, and the old man, Ophidian, are all different facets of Leo's personality, right? When the Sanguine proteins were introduced into Leo's genes, you became more independent and were given certain powers. But, because Reaper is basically Leo's dark side, he rebelled against control.'

Don began to pace again. 'Because of the supernatural nature of your semi-independence, Reaper's rebellion did not manifest as dissociative identity syndrome, but rather his attempts to undermine Leo's fragile psyche cause symptoms resembling paranoid schizophrenia. How did I go?'

'You are correct in all your cogitations.'

'And I'm guessing that Reaper has been the one tormenting us all this time.'

'Also correct.'

'O-kay. We have to find the others and see if they picked up any weaknesses.'

* * *

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

_Casey's hand itched, wanting to smash the monitor into a thousand pieces. 'C'mon, Raph. Who'm I gonna talk to if you never wake up, huh? Who's gonna help me bust heads every night. Who's gonna listen if it's been a rough week? You gotta snap out of it…'_

_He sighed despondently. 'You're the toughest, strongest, stubbornest turtle I know, buddy. You can get through this.'_

* * *

Raph cautiously peeked around the corner. The hall was empty. He retreated several feet to where his baby brother sat propped up against the wall. 'We're clear, Mike. Let's get moving.'

'… 'K… 'kay, Raphie…'

The red-masked turtle carefully gathered the younger into his arms, eliciting a small whimper as Mikey's wounded ankle scraped against the ground. 'I know it hurts, buddy, but stay with me, okay? I will get ya outta here, I promise.'

'I… k-know you will… Fearless… L-leader…'

Raph smiled without quite knowing why.

He walked slowly down the corridor, trying not to jar his brother too much, then rounded another corner and stopped short as he came face to face with Don.

* * *

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

_'__Mikey's heartbeat is a little weak,' said April, midway through her now-regular vitals check. 'Not sure what that's about yet.'_

_She sat down in a chair, letting the sob caught in her throat rise to the surface. 'I'm stumped, Casey. I don't know what to do. I can't find out why they're like this. I feel so useless!' Shouting the last sentence, she buried her face in her hands. Casey stood and walked over to where she sat, pulling her close and stroking her hair. 'We'll figure it out, babe. The guys are strong, they can hold on until we find the answer.'_

_'__But what if they never wake up? Leo's so weak already…'_

_'__Apes – you know that Leo's in a coma at least once a month. He's been through worse.'_

_'__I know, but… we almost lost him last week, then Don the day before, and before that they were missing for two weeks… I don't want to lose any of them…'_

_Casey was silent._

_Life without the turtles was not something they wanted to think about._

* * *

Raph nearly dropped Mikey in shock. 'Donnie!'

'Raph! Thank heavens!' The genius paused and stepped back. 'What happened to you? You've got second and third-degree burns all over!'

'I fell through a lava pit, okay?'

Mikey opened his eyes at Raph's words and gaped at his two brothers, one badly injured, the other covered in circuitry. 'But – what – how…?'

'Still trying to figure it out myself, Mike,' replied the red-masked turtle drily. 'You may have noticed that none of this makes sense.'

'That's because it's not real,' said Don, a serious expression settling onto his green-skinned face. 'We're inside a mind-trap, much like the simulations Bishop used. Only these are being created by someone much more unstable – and _much_ more dangerous.'

'Who?'

'Reaper,' said another voice from behind the genius.

Knife stepped out into the light.

Raph and Mikey's jaws dropped.

Don took a deep breath and began to explain.

* * *

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

* * *

'So, you're saying that _Leo's_ doing all this?'

'Well – yes and no. _Part_ of Leo is. The part that thrives on anger, doubt, grief, and fear.'

'No wonder it got so strong.'

'Mm.'

'Uh, Don? You don't look so good.'

'It's an interesting experience being empathically bonded to someone with paranormal-assisted paranoid schizophrenia, let me tell you.'

'I don't even know what that means, but okay…'

* * *

_BEEP… BEEP… BEEP…_

* * *

'What are we gonna do?'

'We have to find Blue, Mikey – the dominant personality. He's the Leo we know.'

'So who are these others then, if Blue's the one we know?'

'I don't know, Raph. Leo himself might be able to tell us. But we have to get him back first.'

* * *

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEP-_

* * *

'Knife, you'll help us find him, won't you?'

Silence.

'Knife?'

A choking gasp, then the sound of a small body hitting the floor.

'Crap – Don, he's out cold!'

A cry of pain. 'Don?'

'Something's – happening – to Leo…'

* * *

_BEEP-BEEP-BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE…_

_'__LEO!'_

* * *

**Oh, man, I'm killing him again… hang on, someone's at the door.**

**_(looks outside, then slams door shut)_ Oh, frell!  
**

**Don: OPEN THE DOOR, SARGE, OR YOUR DEATH WILL BE SLOWER THAN I PLANNED!**

**I'd rather not die at all, Don-san! _(runs off chased by vengeful purple-masked turtle)_ HELP!**


	10. The Broken Bubble: Part Three

**… (peeks around corner) Uh - hi, everyone. Now that I have Rex protecting me I can get on with this chapter. Don't murder me, or you will not see how this ends. (more confidently) This is the second-last chapter, people. Get ready for a SHOWDOWN! WOO-HOO! GO TURTLES! GO TURTLES! GO, GO, GO TURTLES!**

**(turtles stare at dancing Sergeant)**

**… What?**

**Remember I don't own any of these wonderful characters. Besides Knife, Ophidian, and Reaper. MINE! MY OWN! MY PRECIOUS!**

* * *

The Broken Bubble: Part Three

Raph's head began to pound as the adrenaline surge returned. 'We have to find Blue. We have to stop Reaper. We have to get out of here. And we have to do it all before Leo gets hurt bad or worse. Mikey, help Don.' Slinging the limp body of Knife over his shoulder in a fireman's carry, he began to run.

'We're comin', Leo,' he whispered fervently. 'Hang on, bro.'

_Please hang on…_

* * *

**… ****pain…**

**… ****searing pain… chest hurts… my heart…**

**… ****where am i…?**

**… ****it's all dark… voices…**

**_Please hang on…_**

**… ****who was that…?**

**… ****raph…?**

* * *

_'__LEO!'_

_April snapped awake at Casey's yell and heard the shrill sound of a flatline. _Oh, no. No no no. _She jumped out of her seat and flew across the room, frantically starting CPR. 'Don't - you - dare - Leo,' she ground out, pressing hard on his chest, 'don't - you - dare!'_

It's not working. What do I do? … Don said that because their physiology is different, sometimes they need a jump-start._ 'Casey, find the adrenaline. It should be somewhere in that blue cupboard. And hurry!' she yelled as he ran for it, while she continued trying desperately to revive her friend. _Come on, Leo, don't you dare die on me!

* * *

**… ****hurts… why can't i breathe…?**

**_Come on, Leo, don't you dare die on me!_**

**… ****april…?**

**… ****what - AH!**

**… ****that hurt…**

**… ****but… pain's going away… i can breathe…**

**… ****thank you…**

**… ****just want to sleep…**

* * *

_April withdrew the adrenaline syringe and held her breath._

_Leo didn't._

_The two humans let out a relieved sigh as the monitor returned to a rhythmic beep and the blue-masked turtle's chest began to slowly rise and fall. Leo was alive. His heartbeat was shaky and faint and his breathing was still a little erratic. He was too pale and too cold._

_But he was _alive.

* * *

Knife stirred feebly, alerting Raph, who carefully set the boy down, steadying him as he staggered slightly. 'Careful, kid. Take it slowly. You okay?' Knife nodded uncertainly, then jerked upright, staring down the corridor. 'Blue is close. I can feel his presence.'

Raph didn't have to say a word before they were all running madly down the hall after Knife.

Of course, when they crashed through a door into a large cave and found Blue, they didn't expect to run into Reaper as well. 'Hi there, bros. What'cha looking for, hey? Leo, perhaps? He's kinda preoccupied right now.'

**… ****preoccupied is one way to describe it…**

**… ****being held a foot off the ground by the throat…**

**... tried to kill me before…**

**… ****tried to stop my heart… april brought me back…**

**… ****can't breathe… help…**

**… ****donnie…**

'Let go of my brother!' yelled Mikey, as furious as they'd ever seen him, 'Or I'll 'chuck you into next century!'

'You can't fight me without hurting him,' grinned the malevolent doppelgänger. 'Are you willing to take the risk?' He gave a chuckle and clenched his hand tighter around Leo's neck. The blue-masked turtle choked out a strangled gasp, his face reddening slightly.

'Let him GO!' shouted Don, claws baring themselves with a _snick_.

**… ****help… donnie…**

Don's breath left his lungs as the cry rang through his mind. He felt like his brain had been hit by a truck. _Kuso! What the - Leo?_

**don! you can hear me!**

**_Um… working on your grammar may help with _****_understanding_****_, though._**

**Sorry. it's hard right now when I'm trying to breathe**

**_It's okay, Leo, we're going to help you. Hang on, okay?_**

**… ****kay… Donnie… um… raph's yelling at you… better… stop…**

'Don? Donnie? Einstein! We need a plan, genius!'

'We have to weaken him so that Leo can regain control and lock him up again,' muttered Don, turning to his younger brothers.

'Distract him,' whispered Knife. 'I must get to Blue. He needs power. Hurry!' And with that he began to run toward the fallen blue-masked ninja, prompting the other three to leap and attack Reaper, diverting his attention.

They succeeded in forcing him back to the centre of the cave, surrounding him and carefully timing their attacks to strike when he wasn't looking. But he brushed them off as if their weapons were no more than tattered fly-swatters, all the while smiling that maniacal smirk. 'Do you really think this will hurt me? Children. You don't have the strength to land any _real_ punches on me!' And he laughed at them, tossing them to the ground with apparent ease.

Then another voice rang out, two sets of tone in one. One young and bell-toned – Knife's voice; the other older, stronger… familiar…

Mikey knew it. It was the voice that cut through nightmares.

Raph knew it. It was the voice that could calm the most savage anger.

Don knew it. It was the voice that offered comfort from doubt and fear.

'They may not. But we do!'

Everyone turned, and Raph was certain he heard an actual gulp of fear coming from Reaper's direction. Knife was nowhere to be seen, but Leo was now standing, no longer weak and helpless.

His eyes were no longer brown, but glaring, sorcerous silver.

And boy did he look furious.

Reaper's eyes widened. 'Oh, bugger.'

* * *

**Yowza! Reaper is in BIG trouble! Am I forgiven now?**

**Oh, and whoever figures out the chapter names before the final chapter is up will get a virtual turtle-tot of their choice. Have fun!  
**


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